| CNRS—The study of an assemblage of Neandertal human bones discovered in the Troisième caverne of Goyet (Belgium) has brought to light selective cannibalistic behaviour primarily targeting female adults and children between 41,000 and 45,000 years ago. The biological profile of the victims, identified for the first time, reveals that they were part of a group originating from outside of the local community, and they were probably brought to the site where to be consumed for food rather than in a ritual context, as suggested by the presence of traces similar to those found on animal bones hunted, butchered and consumed by occupants of the Goyet site1. The research*, which has just been published in Scientific Reports, was conducted by an international team including researchers from the CNRS2, l’Université de Bordeaux, and l’Université d’Aix-Marseille. Situating these analyses in the context of the late Middle Paleolithic3 – marked in Northern Europe by great cultural diversity within Neandertal groups and the emerging presence of Homo sapiens in nearby areas – such cannibalism directed at specific outsiders could reflect the existence of territorial tensions between groups that preceded the disappearance of Neandertals in the region. These conclusions are based on ten years of research involving a reassessment of the Goyet collection4 through DNA analysis, radiocarbon dating, and isotopic measurements to determine the geographic origin of individuals, in addition to virtual reconstitutions enabling morphological analysis of sometimes very fragmentary human bones. _______________________ Neandertal human remains from the Troisième caverne of Goyet (Belgium). Highly fragmented bones bear traces characteristic of fresh bone fracturing and percussion, demonstrating intentional treatment of the bodies. The individuals (GNx, for “Goyet Neandertal” x), numbering six at minimum, were identified by genetic analyses: XX indicates female gender, and XY male gender. © Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences /Scientific Reports _______________________ Article Source: CNRS news release. *Highly selective cannibalism in the Late Pleistocene of Northern Europe reveals Neandertals were targeted prey. Quentin Cosnefroy, Isabelle Crevecoeur, Patrick Semal, Mateja Hajdinjak, Alba Bossoms Mesa, Johannes Krause, Guido Alberto Gnecchi-Ruscone, Cosimo Posth, Hervé Bocherens, Thibaut Devièse & Hélène Rougier. Scientific Reports, 19 november 2025. https://doi.org/10.1038/ _______________________ |
| Notes : |
| 1 – Selection of lower limbs and systematic fracturing of bones to access the more nutritive marrow. 2 – From the Laboratory Prehistory to Present Time: Culture, Environment and Anthropology (CNRS/Ministère de la Culture/Université Bordeaux). Other researchers from the Environmental Geosciences Research and Teaching Centre (Aix-Marseille Univ/CNRS/INRAE/IRD) were also involved. 3 – Prehistoric period stretching from approximately 300,000 years before our time to 40,000 years before our time. In Europe it is mostly associated with Neandertals. 4 – Housed at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (Brussels, Belgium). |
